CHOCOLATE – Hi Everyone! Introducing.... the food dept.

We will tempt you to cook our delicious new recipes and inspire you with our beautiful food photography. Welcome to the first edition of the food dept's new online food feature – "Hot Chocolate" – and don't forget to tell us what you think.

3. Combine milk, butter, egg and vanilla in a jug and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix gently until just combined. Pour into the prepared ovenproof dish. Combine brown sugar, extra cocoa and boiling water into another jug, mix well.4.Gently pour the sauce mixture into dish and bake for 20-25. Serve warm with a dollop cream.

food dept fact: This recipe can easily be doubled to serve 8, use an 8 cup ovenproof dish, bake for 35-40 minutes or until pudding batter is set and springs back when touched. For individual serves, divide the recipe between ¾ cup ovenproof ramekins, these will only take 15-20 minutes.

Try these crisp meringues with a scoop of our Dark Chocolate Ice Cream. For image.

• 4 free range egg whites

• Pinch salt

• 1¼ cups caster sugar

• 2 teaspoons cornflour

• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• ½ cup roughly chopped hazelnuts

• 300mls thickened cream, whipped

• 1 quantity Rich Chocolate Sauce

1. Preheat
oven to 120˚C. (100°C fan-forced).

2. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites and salt with an electric mixer until
they form soft peaks. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar a quarter at a
time and beat until glossy. Add cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and beat
on low until just mixed through.

3. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Using a 1 cup measure, place mixture onto baking trays to form large
oval meringues. Sprinkle over hazelnuts and bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the
oven and allow the meringues to cool in the oven with the door ajar.
They should be crisp on the outside and marshmallowy in the centre.

4. Serve with a drizzle of Rich Chocolate Sauce.

Rich Chocolate Sauce

Makes 1½ cups

• ½ cup cream

• 250g dark chocolate -70% cocoa, roughly chopped

1. Place
cream in a saucepan over a low heat until simmering. Remove from the
heat and stir through the chocolate until dissolved.

2. Serve warm with
Hazelnut Meringues

food dept fact: If the sauce is made ahead, it will set at room temperature. Gently warm again over a low heat until smooth and glossy.

1. Greased a 20x30cm slice pan and set aside.2. To make vanilla salt, cut vanilla pod in
half lengthways and scrap the seeds from the pod into a bowl. Lightly rub the
vanilla seeds through the salt and set aside.

3. In a saucepandissolve
sugar in water, add glucose and stir over a medium heat until sugar has
dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook without stirring (stirring a
boiling sugar syrup will cause it to crystallize), until mixture is
golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in the butter,
bicarbonate of soda and vanilla salt.

4. Pour
into slice pan and allow to completely cool. Once
cold remove from the pan, spread over melted chocolate and sprinkle with
pistachios and vanilla salt. 5. Allow chocolate to set before breaking in
to bite size pieces.

food dept facts: Vanilla salt is available from Simon Johnson’s or you can make your own. Alternately, just use flakey sea salt. The
unused vanilla pod can be placed in a container with some sugar, allow
it to infuse to your own liking and you’ll have delicious vanilla sugar
to use in baking. The pod can also be removed from the sugar and used to
infuse custard.

Delicious white chocolate chunks balanced by the burst of sour cherries in these Best Ever Brownies. Substitute the cherries and white chocolate with your favourite dried fruit or nut and chocolate combination.

2. Combine butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over a low heat and stir until butter and chocolate have melted. Set aside and allow to cool.3. Combine eggs, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl and add cooled chocolate mixture. 4. Place flour and cherries in a bowl. Add chocolate mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the pan and evenly place over the white chocolate chunks.5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cooked when tested. Allow to cool completely in the tin. Remove and cut into 16 pieces.

food dept fact: For an even ‘fudgier’ brownie, reduce the cooking time by 5-10 minutes, experiment until you find ‘fudginess’ you like.

2. In a bowl, sift cocoa, flour and combine with sugar, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low to combine.3. In a large jug, combine eggs, water, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla essence. With the mixer on low gradually pour in the liquid ingredients and continue to beat for 2 minutes.

4. Divide the mixture evenly between the 2 cake pans and bake for 50-55 minutes or until cooked when tested. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pans.5. Turn the cakes out and allow to cool completely. Using a serrated knife, trim the top of the cakes and then cut each cake evenly into 2 layers. Divide the Chocolate Mousse Icing evenly between the layers and top of the cake. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.

food dept fact: This recipe is also great for cupcakes, it makes approximately 24 good size cupcakes.

Chocolate mousse icing

Makes 3 cups

• 250g unsalted butter softened

• 200g dark chocolate – 70% cocoa, melted and allowed to cool

• 300ml thickened cream

• 2 tablespoons caster sugar

1. Beat butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, add chocolate and continue to beat for 2 minutes.2. In another bowl beat cream and caster sugar until soft peaks form. Add cream to the chocolate mixture and beat for a further 2 minutes.

food dept fact: For best results use the icing at room temperature as soon as it has been made. Icing can be refrigerated or frozen for later use. Allow it to come back to room temperature and beat again until smooth.

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Makes 1½ litres

A luscious velvety ice cream perfect on its own or with your favourite dessert.

• 2 cups milk

• 600ml cup cream

• 400g dark chocolate - 70% cocoa, roughly chopped

• 1 cup caster sugar

• 8 free range egg yolks

1. Combine milk and cream in a saucepan over a low heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted, allow to cool.

2. Combine the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until pale and creamy. Gradually whisk in the chocolate and cream mixture to make a chocolate custard. Return the chocolate custard mixture to the saucepan and stir over a low heat until slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the custard to boil or it will curdle.

3. Chill the custard and then churn in an ice-cream churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.

4. Place into a freezer container and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.Rum and raisin icecream,Soak 1 cup of raisins in 1/3 cup dark rum overnight until raisins are plumped. Combine with the chocolate custard in the ice cream churn and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

food dept facts: If you don’t have an ice cream churn, freeze the custard in a freezer container until firm. Break up the ice cream and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Return to the freezer container and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.

Chocolate kahlua shots

Makes 6 shots

An instant chocolate quick fix, doubles as the perfect after dinner drink or dessert.

• 100g dark bittersweet chocolate - 80% cocoa

• ½ cup Kahlua

• 300ml cream

1. Cut the chocolate across the block into thick shards and divide evenly between 6 heatproof shot glasses. Pour 1 tablespoon of Kahlua into each glass. Place cream in a small saucepan and heat on low until simmering.

2. Pour approximately 2 tablespoons of hot cream into each glass and serve immediately with a small spoon.

Wow! And Yum! The site is mouth-wateringly shot and the recipes seem easy enough for baby-cooks like me. Can't wait to get started! CharlottePS Please could you clarify whether you are using Aussie sized tablespoons (ie 20mls) or the UK equivalent (15mls)? Thanks

I am loving the colours, presentation and mouth watering pictures. The chocolate themed recipes are fantastic!!Well done food dept.! Keep it coming because it is a delight to the senses. Elizabeth McDonaldxx

What an amazing job by 4 brilliant people, thank you !So elegant and wickedly delicious only one thing is I seriously need that cake NOW;-( Am going to make it ASAP if not tomorrow Cannot wait for the second 'issue'? 'blog' !!Thank you beautiful

This is the most beautiful food site I've ever seen... It goes to show what happens when 4 talented, passionate people get together to play! WOW. I'm not very computer connected (not on fb etc) but I'm sending this to everyone I know who loves chocolate, so EVERYONE I KNOW. Thank you thank you thank you. It's raining a grey drizzle this morning in London but I don't care: I'm in a chocolate dream (with flecks of indigo). Harry x

Wow this is absolutely gorgeous!! Beautiful styling and I can't wait to try the recipes. Wait??? Why? I'm running right now to the kitchen to make your self saucing pudding for tonight's dessert. Thank you and keepOn the good work!

Thank you so much for these lovely recipes! The pictures are just absolutely scrumptious. I've made the chocolate layer cake twice for both my boys birthday, once in Dec and another just recently last week. The consensus is everyone has raved on how tasty it is and how they love that it's not overly sweet. I've also passed on the website to others who have asked for the recipe. Can't wait to try the other chocolate recipes. Keep up the fantastic work! - Jules